Deer stalking brings £140 million to Scottish economy

The revelation that deer management contributes around £140 million to the Scottish economy was one of several positive conclusions to be drawn from the latest Public & Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC) report.

The findings were announced at the annual general meeting of the Association of Deer Management Groups (ADMG) – the organisation representing those who manage Scotland’s upland red deer – which was held on February 26 at Kingussie.

The meeting was attended by almost 200 deer forest managers, owners, and other representatives from the sector, who gathered to discuss topics including the Land Reform Bill and its elements relating to deer (such as the reintroduction of sporting rates), additional powers for Scottish Natural Heritage, and the forthcoming review of Scotland’s Deer Management Groups (DMGs).

The PACEC report, which was commissioned by the ADMG, the Lowland Deer Network Scotland and the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, also concluded that there are 2,532 jobs in deer management, of which 1,372 were paid, equating to an estimated 845 FTEs (Full Time Equivalents).

Richard Cooke, Chairman of The Association of Deer Management Groups, said: “This was a very well attended meeting. The upland deer sector has clearly grasped what is expected of it in terms of making progress in having proper and workable deer management plans in place, that take the public interest into account, and also making these plans available for public consultation in line with new guidelines on transparency and accountability.”